When it rains, it pours
by FanOfRandomThings
Summary: As usual, Merlin gets put in the stocks because Arthur's in a bad mood. Unfortunately the knight who's supposed to release Merlin is unable to follow out his order and so, unbeknownst to Arthur, Merlin is still in the stocks when a storm big enough to be a typhoon hits Camelot. Sick!Merlin Worried!Arthur Scared!Merlin No Slash
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **_So it's been raining really hard where I live and I got inspired. This will be either a two shot or three shot I think._

_Takes place very early in the series- say, a couple days before Sir Valiant._

_Shout out to **Anna Davenport** who helped edit this chapter :)_

* * *

"I've got your lunch!"

Arthur glanced up to see his new servant, Merlin, standing in front of his desk. He didn't know why his father had to assign him such an annoyingly jubilant, yet clumsy servant, although so far the brunet hadn't proved to be particularly awful. Still, this Merlin was always bumbling about, and this endlessly annoyed Arthur.

"Put it there," Arthur waved toward the end of the desk. "I need to finish studying these maps."

"Why are you studying maps?" Merlin asked as he walked over to the desk. He sounded genuinely interested, so Arthur replied that he was searching for the most likely hiding place of the bandits which had just raided a few stores in the lower town. Arthur's father expected the prince to figure out in which direction he should send the knights on patrol.

"Judging by the coming storm from the west, they probably went east," Arthur mumbled to himself, his attention turning back to the maps. It was quiet for several moments and Arthur assumed that Merlin was probably readying himself to leave. Apparently Arthur had once again misjudged the quirky servant.

"But east is where that big river is!"

Merlin's voice came from directly over Arthur's shoulder, and Arthur jumped at least a foot out of his chair, bumping the back into Merlin. The servant had apparently decided against setting down the food, and the entire soup bowl upturned off the tray and found itself upside-down on Arthur's head, the soup dripping slowly down his face.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Merlin swallowed as Arthur shoved his chair back and stood angrily. The glare he aimed toward Merlin was not a welcoming sight, and Merlin swallowed again, backing up slightly.

"It really was an accident," Merlin gave a slight grin, which only caused Arthur to roll his eyes and shout for the guard which stood outside of his chambers. A few moments later the guard, Sir William, was in the room, his gaze shocked at the sight of a soup bowl sitting on the prince's head.

"Sir William, put this incompetent servant in the stocks until he begins to understand just how unpleasant it is to be covered in food. Oh, and my father wants you to lead a patrol out to see if the bandits are still near the outskirts of Camelot. Try traveling to the west. When you're done, you're to report to the king."

"Yes Sire," Sir William bowed and glanced at Merlin, who sighed and obediently trotted after the knight. Arthur gave a sigh and returned to studying the maps, a little confused by Merlin's good humor despite constantly being put in the stocks. He was an odd servant, no two ways about that.

A strong gust of wind rattled Arthur's window and the prince pulled his coat tighter around himself. The storm was preparing to be big, however it wasn't meant to arrive for several hours. The patrol would be back long before it started to rain.

"Oh, and Sir William," Arthur spoke up quickly just as the knight was closing the door. "Get my servant out of the stocks the minute you return."

"Yes Sire," Sir William nodded, and then he shut the door.

* * *

Sir William lead Merlin through the halls, not bothering to restrain him. He was perfectly aware that the prince's servants often ended up in the stocks for trivial things and restraining them was a formality which was completely unnecessary. Still, Sir William was surprised by this new servant's good nature.

As they walked through the halls, several other servants send him worried looks, to which Merlin simply laughed.

"Apparently soup isn't the way to cool down a hot head's temper!" Merlin told one curious servant. To another he said, "I like the stocks. When I'm in them, I don't even have to walk Arthur's monsters, I mean his dogs!"

By the time they had arrived at the town square, Sir William was convinced that Merlin had chatted to every other person in the kingdom- servant and random village person alike. Sir William unlocked the stocks and immediately Merlin hopped over to them. Sir William raised an eyebrow.

"I'm getting quite good at this," Merlin grinned. With a shrug, Sir William closed the top of the stock and locked them securely.

"I'll try not to take too long," Sir William finally spoke. Merlin only shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. If you don't get back before it starts raining, at least I won't have to take a bath to get rid of the rotten vegetable smell later!"

Sir William couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Good luck," he nodded to the cheerful servant, and then he carefully attached the keys to his belt. He'd keep them with him so that he could get the servant out as soon as he returned. Now it was time he go gather a small group of knights and search for the bandits.

As Sir William departed the gates, a group of four trailing behind him, he heard people laughing as they threw rotten vegetables at the servant. The boy's only response was to declare: "Bullseye! Ten points to the boy in front!"

* * *

The wind whistled through the trees and though at first all was calm, by the time the knights had reached the bottom of the pass the horses were growing skittish.

"I think the rain is about to turn this place into a bog. Look at those clouds; this one isn't going to be pretty."

"Yes, let's head back. The king can't fault us for staying out in the kind of whether that's approaching. At least we know the bandits aren't anywhere near Camelot. Come on, let's head back."

"Wait!" Another knight pulled his horse to a stop. "I head something."

"Come on, Pellinore, there's nothing out there."

"No, Charlie, I'm sure I head something..."

The knights hesitated, before Charlie shook his head and declared that he was ready to go home, and no creature in the forest would stop him. Slowly, the other knights relaxed and turned their horses towards Camelot. From the back, however, there was a gurgling cry, and Pellinore turned to see Charlie falling from his horse, an arrow in his back.

"For Camelot," Sir William shouted as he drew his sword, and then the small battle with the bandits began.

* * *

Merlin winced as another rotten tomato wound up in his hair, however most of the villagers here were but children, and he was aware that they didn't mean anything vicious by throwing things at him. Most of them were probably just practicing their aim. He was growing a little tired of it, though. He'd been here for at least two hours and his back was beginning to ache.

A raindrop suddenly rolled down his nose, and Merlin squinted up at the sky to see that it was virtually black. A few more raindrops dripped onto the stone and landed in his already slightly soggy hair. Great, well it looked like Sir William was leaving the rain to give him a bath.

Quite a few of the children's mothers showed up right about then and grabbed their son's and daughter's hands to pull them towards shelter. Many of the mothers sent him pitying glances before they shut tight their doors and windows. The remaining children squealed with joy and splashed in puddles before they too hurried to get inside. Merlin sighed and blinked his eyes to try to get the rainwater out of them. The rain was cold, but it almost felt refreshing. Holding open his mouth, Merlin caught a few raindrops and then shook his hair to get the vegetable skins out of it.

A gust of wind tugged at Merlin's scarf, and for a moment Merlin shivered violently. He repressed his shivering quickly, however, because there were a few little kids standing around under awnings and he certainly didn't want to make them aware that he was suddenly feeling the rapid temperature drop, despite his coat. Another gust of wind blew, and once again Merlin shivered. At least it wasn't raining _that _hard.

A roll of thunder echoed in the distance, causing Merlin to wince. He never did like thunder and lightning. Merlin squinted as his hair whipped around his face, and then he suddenly noticed that the little boy with the good aim from earlier was standing there.

"Hello mister," the little boy grinned shyly. "I wanted to say sorry for hittin' you in the eye earlier. I was jus' playin'. Here, you can have my hat while you stand out here. Me ma says it's going to get mighty cold."

The little boy plopped a woolen cap upon Merlin's head, to which the servant shook his head.

"I can't take your hat," Merlin laughed lightly.

"You can give it back later. Me ma works at the bakery."

"Well… Okay," Merlin nodded. "Now shouldn't you go home? Your ma is probably worrying."

"Yeah, she usually does… Well, see ya!"

The little boy ran off leaving Merlin to clench his teeth to keep them from clattering. Another roll of thunder made Merlin wince yet again and he suddenly wished that he was curled up in Gaius's chambers reading his book and complaining about Arthur. He certainly had plenty to complain about at the moment.

A howl of wind sent a flurry of raindrops toward Merlin, and then it began raining in earnest, the water coming down in bucket loads. A flash of lightning lit up the square, and Merlin began to wonder when exactly Sir William would be returning. If he didn't return soon, though, surely Arthur would come and let him out. Yes, Arthur and he had their differences, but even Arthur wouldn't abandon him to the storm, right?

_Of course not _Merlin told himself, and then he shut his eyes tightly against the pelting rain as he waited for salvation.

* * *

Arthur leaned against the headboard of his bed and listened as the storm outside turned from a gentle downpour to practically a typhoon. The flag which normally waved merrily in the gentle wind outside his window was now flapping madly, tearing at its seams and yanking to become captive to the wind. Arthur's insufferable servant hadn't served him dinner yet and it was growing late, so Arthur stood and stuck his head into the hallway to tell the nearest servant to get his dinner.

Arthur then stamped back into his room, his mood matching the now frequent flashes of lightning. Honestly, what was this new servant good for? He was lazy, clumsy, and couldn't even stand the thought of traveling through some rain! Admittedly the storm was growing dangerously violent and so Merlin had likely run home to take refuge with Gaius. Still, Arthur was annoyed that his servant couldn't be bothered to bring dinner first. Other servants were still roaming the halls. They hadn't turned tail and disappeared.

"Your dinner, sire," a servant knocked on Arthur's door, and Arthur retrieved the hot soup quickly. Arthur's window rattled against the wind, a chill flying down the fireplace and almost extinguishing the flames. Shivering once, Arthur decided to sit on his bed as he drank the warm soup. Finishing, Arthur snuggled under the covers to wait for the storm to pass.

* * *

Arthur didn't know what exactly had woken him; perhaps it was a particularly loud boom of thunder because Arthur's whole room was suddenly lit as bright as day as a flash of lightning was a precursor another gigantic boom.

The temperature had dropped significantly and, despite Arthur's many blankets, he felt absolutely freezing. Arthur tried to fall back asleep, yet he found it to be impossible so instead he stood and slipped into his boots. He realized with chagrin that he'd never changed out of his clothes, however now he was thankful because they were sure to provide at least a little more warmth.

Arthur stretched and stood, wondering lazily what time it was. It was pitch black outside, so it was probably late, however the storm could be making it seem darker than it really was. Arthur decided to see if anyone else was awake, and so he wandered over to his door and pulled it open. He was surprised to hear a flurry of commotion from down the hall.

Quickly, Arthur slipped out of his room and stalked down the hall to see what was the matter. He was surprised to be met with a group of servants huddled around a collapsed knight. It took him a moment before he realized it was Sir Pellinore.

"Make room," Uther's voice suddenly echoed down the hall and he bustled forward to see what had occurred. The sight of the collapsed knight made the king quickly suck in a breath.

"He stumbled inside and collapsed. We need to move him," one of the servants spoke up. "I'm afraid the weather is to bad to bring Gaius over here at this late hour."

"I can try to treat him," another servant spoke up.

Sir Pellinore was moved to a bench that sat along the wall, and the healing servant examined the knight.

"No big damage," she told the king. "He might have suffered some kind of blow to the head. We should attempt to gently wake him and ask him what happened."

Arthur watched in numb shock as the girl tried to wake Sir Pellinore, whose eyes flickered a few times before blinking open.

"What happened?" Uther immediately questioned the half conscious knight. "What happened to the rest of you?"

"The bandits… Surprise attack," the knight's voice was quiet. "The others… They didn't make it… I'm sorry your highness. I should have stayed… But the bandits made me leave… Example…"

Sir Pellinore's eyelids flickered, and Uther commanded that someone bring some something warm to eat. Arthur continued to watch in shock, until he realized that something was tugging at the back of his mind. There was a worried, bothersome feeling in his stomach as if something was wrong, beyond the fact that four knights had just died.

Arthur stood back as a cook brought Sir Pellinore some warm bread and broth. Arthur's brow creased as that unkown thought continued to tickle the back of his mind, and then a howl of wind echoed through the hall. All of a sudden, Arthur blaunched.

"Sir William," Arthur choked out. "He didn't make it?"

Sir Pellinore shook his head mutely, and Arthur stumbled backwards, turning to a random servant who was watching the proceedings.

"Has anyone seen my servant? Has anyone seen Merlin?" Arthur grabbed the jacket of the servant, who shook his head quickly.

"Not for hours, sire," the servant swallowed as Arthur let go of his jacket. Arthur asked another servant, who had a similar response.

"Father," Arthur ran up to the king. "Did anyone go get Merlin? You know, my manservant?"

"Get him? Why would they go get him?" Uther frowned at his desperate son. "What's happening?"

Arthur shook his head as he ran over to a window. The sky lit up again, though it was a bit hard to see through the sheets of rain. Arthur spun and ran toward the door, yanking it open and forcing his way outside. The strength of the wind almost blew him backwards, yet Arthur shielded his eyes and stumbled into the courtyard.

The wind howled and the rain pelted down interspersed with the occasional icy droplet of hail. Yanking his coat around himself, Arthur ran toward the town square where the stocks were. Surely someone must have seen the servant standing in the stocks and gotten him out, but Arthur had to make sure, and so he ran as fast as he could through the storm.

Finally the square came into view, and Arthur's heart dropped into his stomach.

Nothing was in its correct spot. Chairs, buckets, and stands had blown over and lay in a melee around the square, and at the edge of the square stood the stocks which, to Arthur's horror, were not empty. The stocks were bent slightly forward, but Arthur couldn't tell if that was the wind's fault or the fault of its prisoner trying to escape.

At the moment, Merlin didn't particularly look like he was trying to escape. Instead he had his eyes pressed tightly shut and he seemed to be trying to huddle into himself, although the stocks were prohibiting such a movement. He was also shivering violently, and from across the square Arthur could hear muffled whimpers carried on the screaming wind.

Despite the screaming wind, all that Arthur could register was that there stood Merlin, shivering violently as his hair whipped about in the wind and rain continued to come down in bucket loads.

* * *

**AN: **_What do you think so far? Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **_Okay, so I am pleasantly shocked at the response to this story. Apparently the tittle was quite accurate because with this story, when it rains with reviews, follows, and favorites, it pours! Thank you to each and every one of you who followed, favorited, and especially reviewed! I hope this chapter lives up to expectations! _

_Again, thank you, thank you, thank you :) _

_I'm changing the timeline a little. This is after Valiant, but before anything else. That's because I realized in Valiant they say that's the first day Merlin works for Arthur, so this is a few days post Valiant._

_Again, shout out to my consulting editor **Anna Davenport **for helping out with some stuff here. _

* * *

Despite himself, Arthur ran over to the violently shivering figure and with a hoarse whisper he said Merlin's name. Merlin made no move to open his eyes or acknowledge Arthur's presence. When lightning flashed, Arthur could suddenly better see Merlin's condition, and he couldn't help but wince.

Merlin was pale and his damp, dark hair was plastered to his forehead. A little fell into his eyes which were pressed tightly shut against the stinging, pelting rain and hail. As the thunder boomed, Merlin whimpered loudly and shook even harder.

"Merlin I," Arthur hesitated, his hands wavering near his servant. "I thought they got you out! They were supposed to! I don't have the keys, there was an attack and so apparently no one was bright enough to figure out they were supposed to get you out of there! Merlin? Look, I'm… I mean It's too bad no one figured out the obvious and just got new keys or something. I mean, when I sent you out here I didn't realize you'd still be standing here when the storm came. Merlin?"

Another boom of thunder caused Merlin to wince, which caused his legs to flail for balance against the slippery ground, his hands clenched into fists. Arthur swallowed when he realized that, should Merlin fall, he could easily choke. Quickly, Arthur's eyes traveled to the lock on the stocks. He needed to get the servant under some shelter, but the knight with the keys hadn't returned…

Shaking his head, Arthur reached for the knife on his belt and slammed it into the lock, attempting to break it. It took several tries, but finally the lock snapped and Arthur flung the stocks open. For a moment Merlin stood there, and then he slowly seemed to crumple to the ground, his eyes flying open.

"What?" the servant's voice croaked as his eyes traveled up to the face of the frowning prince. Yet another boom of thunder made Merlin's hands snake around his knees as he huddled into a ball, shaking profusely. His breath came in gasps, and Arthur half apologized again. When Merlin continued to sit there, his breathing uneven as he shook, Arthur cleared his throat.

"Um, maybe you should come inside?" Arthur stated, frowning when he realized how he'd just stated the obvious. "I mean, maybe you should stand up."

Merlin made no move to stand up, and so with a sigh Arthur stooped down to try to help him stand. Arthur frowned when he realized that the servant was ice cold. Merlin opened his eyes quickly at the contact, and finally his whispered Arthur's name as if he'd just realized that the prince was there.

"Yeah, come on. You need to get inside and dry off," Arthur nodded and tried to hoist the servant to his feet. Merlin's legs were shaking and he almost fell over. He probably would have had Arthur not quickly reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Oh, Merlin, I didn't realize… They should have told me the patrol didn't return! If they had I would have seen that you weren't standing here for hours in the rain."

Merlin didn't reply. Instead he scrambled for purchase with his feet, however his muscles spasmed and he found himself mostly leaning against the stocks as Arthur attempted to keep him from toppling to the ground. Suddenly the air rippled with electricity and Arthur's eyes widened as lightning shot down from the sky and with an almost deafening bang, struck the flagpole which sat at the edge of the square. Merlin froze for a moment, before his shaking began with a renewed vigour.

"Uh…" Arthur's jaw dropped. "Come on, hurry!"

Arthur half dragged Merlin towards the palace doors and shoved him inside as he spun to close and lock them against the rain. He shook his head to try to get the rain out of his hair and eyes, and then surveyed better the servant who was still laying on the floor, shivering violently. Merlin took several shuddering breaths as if trying to calm himself, however he seemed to be having a hard time.

Arthur vaguely wondered what to do now, and then his frown deepened as he realized he should bring servant to Gaius,. However, the old healer was likely busy dealing with the injured knight. Surely some of the servants here could help.

"Sire, do you need help?" a voice spoke up, and Arthur turned to find Gwen standing there. Her eyes slowly traveled to Merlin, and then she let out a small cry.

"What's happened?" she stared at Arthur, shocked, and his eyes flickered to Merlin uneasily.

"Apparently no one bothered to get him out of the stocks as I ordered," Arthur told Gwen.

"He's been there all this time?" Gwen sounded shocked, and Arthur nodded once.

"But… But he's terrified of thunder and lightning. He was telling me earlier how he got trapped out in a storm once as a child, and he can't stand it! I'm sorry, please forgive me for my outburst, Sire."

Arthur's guilt increased tenfold, however he only offered her a frown and told her: "It's alright. So, he's scared of thunder and lightening? Is he scared of everything?"

Gwen looked about to retaliate, however instead she knelt next to him and whispered his name. Merlin's eyes flew open again and his gaze traveled to Gwen.

"Gwen?" Merlin's voice was hoarse and he slurred his words. "Why're you here?"

"Shh, it's alright," Gwen offered Merlin a smile and he now tried in earnest to get his shivering to cease.

"It's jus' the rain an' the thunder an' the cold an' the thunder," Merlin croaked, and Gwen nodded sympathetically.

"What do we do to help him?" Arthur spoke up, and for several moments Gwen looked surprised before she began to talk.

"Your highness, Gaius is trying to keep the inured knight alive. He says the the knight may be on the brink of death. Gaius may not be able to heal Merlin at the moment, and bringing Merlin in might hinder Gaius's ability to heal the knight. Someone needs to get some towels and dry clothes for Merlin, though. It would also be best if we could find him a bed?"

"We can bring him to a guest room where he can stay just tonight until the storm clears. Here," Arthur bent and hoisted the shivering Merlin to his feet. "Come on, there's one just up here."

Gwen followed behind, and hurried to open the door for them. Inside sat a nice room with a large canopy bed.

"Maybe we should get him dry first," Arthur told Gwen. "Those sheets are rather expensive."

Gwen hurried to a cupboard on the side of the room and retrieved some towels which Merlin grabbed and began drying himself off with.

"'M nothelpless youknow," Merlin croaked, however his legs were shaking as they tried to support him. Gwen shook her head and dried off his hair. Soon he was over at the bed, and Gwen asked how Merlin felt.

"This is a comfy bed," Merlin tried to swallow. "Maybe I should stayout inthestocks on rainy days moreoften?"

Arthur shook his head in wonder, and then frowned as Merlin gave a sudden whimper.

"What?" he asked, attempting to sound impatient.

"It's jus'… I can't swallow," Merlin's voice was endlessly soft. Gwen placed a hand on his brow, and then her eyes grew dark.

"He's ice cold."

"Well, what do we do about that?" Arthur asked.

" I'll get some soup, and a fire should be lit."

Gwen ran off leaving Arthur to frown down at the still slightly shivering servant.

"Don't like thunder and lightening?" Arthur asked quietly, and Merlin shrugged. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" a grin pulled at the corners of Merlin's mouth, and Arthur rolled his eyes.

"I wanted you in the stocks; I didn't mean for you to get pneumonia or something."

"I don' have pneumonia," Merlin grinned despite his swelling throat. "I mighthavethe orsomething, though."

"Well, you rest," Arthur told his servant awkwardly. "I'm sure that serving girl, Gwen or something, will be back soon."

Merlin closed his eyes and tried to suppress his shivers. Arthur was quiet for about a minute before he spoke up again.

"Other than your throat, how do you feel?" Arthur asked, and Merlin pried his eyes open.

"Well, cold," he shrugged. Arthur cracked a small smile. "An' tired. My back an'shoulders hurt, an' my legs kinda hurt 'cause it's actually surprisingly hard tostand forhours on end. You might be surprised. An'it kinda hurts to talk so…"

Arthur nodded, pulling up a chair and sitting as he waited for Gwen to return. Merlin's eyes fluttered shut and soon he appeared to have fallen asleep. Eventually the chamber doors opened and Gwen hurried in with the soup and cloth.

"I think he's asleep," Arthur spoke quietly. "I'll start a fire and we can put the soup next to it."

Arthur stood and began a fire in the hearth while Gwen smoothed Merlin's damp hair from his brow. She frowned at how cold he was, and yet tiny beads of sweat were beginning to dot his face. She glanced up as Arthur stalked back to the bedside.

"Someone should stay here with him."

"I will," Arthur told her, but she shook her head.

"Your highness, shouldn't I stay or call another servant?"

"It's my fault he's in this mess, I'll stay here. Don't tell my father or Gaius. I don't want to hinder his work with Sir Pellinore."

Gwen hesitated, but finally nodded and hurried from the room so she could resume helping the injured knight.

Arthur glanced down at the pale, gaunt, shivering serving boy, and guilt wormed it's way into him again. Merlin's breath hitched, and Arthur wondered why no one had noticed him standing in the rain. Arthur had been angry at the clumsy servant, but he hadn't meant this to happen.

Sighing, Arthur sat back in his chair and listened to the pouring rain outside. From the bed, Arthur heard a small noise, but Merlin seemed to be asleep. _Must be dreaming _Arthur decided, and then he proceeded to ignore the soft murmurs.

* * *

"_Mummy! Mummy why d'we aways have to go over to Mrs. Ackew's house?"_

_A little boy of about five tugged at his mother's skirts, and she smiled at him as she grabbed a basket of clothes._

"_Because while Mr. Acker is away serving the king, we help Mrs. Acker, remember? Besides you like playing with Will."_

"_Yeah, but I wanna pway with my puppy today and Will gets sick when Bugsy is awound!" _

"_Bugsy can wait until we get home. Come on, Merlin."_

_The woman lead lead her son out into the town, the little boy giggling as he skipped along behind his mother. Quite a few of the towns people couldn't help but smile at the cheerful little boy, and he smiled and greeted all of them. When they arrived at Will's cottage, Merlin ran up and banged on the door until Will opened it._

"_Hello Merlin," he grinned at his younger friend._

"_Hi Will!" Merlin smiled. "My mummy is helping your mummy, so we get to pway today!"_

"_That's right," Will nodded. "It looks like there's going to be a storm, but we can play outside until is starts raining. What do you want to play?"_

"_Hide and go seek!" Merlin clapped his hands, and Will laughed as he nodded._

"_Okay, do you want to hide first?"_

"_Yeah! Then you can hide afte'wards."_

_Will turned around and counted to twenty before he searched for his younger friend, who was hiding behind a barrel in the garden. The two mothers chuckled at the children's antics before they got to work cleaning clothes and chatting about the local gossip._

_Merlin and Will played all afternoon until finally a few rain drops hit the ground. _

"_Maybe we should go inside?" Will suggested, but Merlin shook his head. _

"_One mowr time! We'e tied fo'being found most!"_

"_Well," Will glanced up at the sky, and then he grinned. "Okay, you're on! Bet I'll find you real fast this time!"_

"_Bet you won't!" Merlin giggled, and then Will turned to hide his eyes._

_Meanwhile, Merlin searched desperately for the perfect hiding place. Slowly, the little boy's eyes traveled to the wood which sat just beyond Will's gate, and a grin spread onto Merlin's face._

_Ever so quietly, Merlin snuck out of the yard and toward the forest where he hurried into a thicket. _

"_Ready or not, here I come!" Merlin heard Will shout, and Merlin giggled quietly. To Merlin's shock, Will left the garden and began walking towards the forest. He must have heard the gate squeak!_

_Merlin frowned and he ran further into the forest as fast as his little legs could carry him. Finally he grew tired and he squeezed himself into a hollow log which sat under a tree. Giggling, Merlin waited to see if Will could find him._

_Merlin found himself waiting for a long time before finally he figured that he'd won and he wiggled out from the log. To his shock it was actually raining quite hard, and Merlin looked around for Will. There was no sign of his older friend, and so Merlin decided that he should find Will. Only problem was that he didn't know which way to go. _

_Merlin turned in a circle only to realize that in every direction, all he could see was forest. _

"_Will?" Merlin shouted. "Will, where'a you?" _

_Merlin took a few steps in one direction, then a few steps in another direction, however everything looked the same._

"_Will?" he called again. The only response that Merlin got was a far away roll of thunder. Merlin tried again. "Will! Whe'd you go?"_

_A flash of lightning lit up the forest, and the trees bent dramatically in the wind. The lightning was followed by a much closer boom which made Merlin jump and swallow uneasily. _

_The wind howled through the trees and blew at the little boy who began to shiver as he desperately searched the rapidly darkening woods. _

"_Pwease Will," Merlin's voice was quieter now. "I din't mean to hide that gwood. Where a' you?"_

_A roll of thunder made Merlin forfeit his search and he scrambled back into his log. Merlin pulled his knees to his chest and stared out of the log as rain poured down and turned the dirt into a muddy mess. A bright flash of lightning made Merlin tremble._

"_Will!" Merlin shouted again. "Will don' leave me here! Don' lea'me stuck in the rwain! Will! Don' weave me stuck in the rwain! Pwease don' leave me stuck in the rwain!"_

_A few moments later Merlin sniffled and winced as the thunder rolled once again._

* * *

Arthur woke with a start, almost falling off his chair in the abruptness of his waking. The wind was still howling outside, yet it had been for some time so Arthur didn't think that's what had woken him.

The fire in the hearth had petered out to simply a soft glow, and so the temperature in the room had dropped dramatically. A distant roll of thunder echoed in the room, and suddenly Arthur found himself sincerely wishing he'd left Gwen on Merlin watching duty because at the moment he just wanted to go to bed.

Arthur considered going to get a servant to watch over his servant (he found that quite funny for some reason), when a murmur from the bed caught his attention.

Arthur's eyes traveled to Merlin, and he was surprised when he noticed that the servant had a sheen of sweat all over his face. He was tossing and turning violently, soft whimpers cutting through the cold air.

"Merlin?" Arthur questioned quietly, but the servant didn't wake. Instead he began to whimper words. It took Arthur a moment before he realized what Merlin was saying.

"Please don't leave me stuck in the rain! Please, please don't leave me stuck in the rain!" Merlin was murmuring over and over, and Arthur couldn't help but wince at the very pitiful whine. Once more, Arthur felt the odd feeling of guilt cutting into his stomach.

"Merlin, wake up," Arthur demanded, a frown lining his face. "Wake up, I can't sleep if you keep talking in yours."

Merlin didn't wake, but instead let out something akin to a sob. Arthur's eyes flickered uneasily, and he wondered if he should wake Merlin from what was clearly a nightmare. Arthur pondered the idea as he got up and checked the soup which was still sitting next to the hearth. It was growing cold, but wasn't completely cold yet. With an indignant sigh, Arthur grabbed the bowl and brought it back to his whimpering servant.

"Merlin, wake up," Arthur commanded, shaking his servant's shoulder. "Wake up."

Merlin slowly stirred from his sleep, his eyes flickering open, and then Arthur's eyes widened. Gone were the soft goofy eyes that Merlin usually had, and instead Merlin looked up at Arthur with such betrayal that Arthur felt like he'd been slapped in the face.

"You left me in the rain," Merlin murmured, his voice scratchy and sore sounding. Arthur blinked a few times, before he cleared his throat.

"Yes, well, I have soup for you," Arthur shoved the bowl towards his servant. "Eat."

Merlin stared at the soup bowl as if he didn't understand, and then his eyes rolled back in his head and he panted softly.

"Merlin?" Arthur questioned uneasily. "What's happening? Are you okay?"

Merlin, who was clearly not 'okay', continued to pant softly, his eyelids fluttering as he began to shiver violently. Arthur copied Gwen and awkwardly tried to figure out what temperature Merlin was by placing the back of his hand on his brow, and then Arthur gave a gasp.

Merlin was burning up, and yet he continued to shiver more violently than when he'd been cold. Merlin sniffled and then let out a soft cry murmuring something about his throat. Arthur, clueless about what to do, told Merlin not to move (which was really a useless command) and then hurried out to the hall.

The hallways was void of any servants, and though Arthur called for one, none came. Arthur was left to wonder if he should leave to find help or stay with the ill young man. Glancing back at the delusional, murmuring, shivering boy made Arthur decide that he shouldn't be left alone, so instead Arthur focussed on restarting the fire.

Arthur hurried over to the fireplace and tried to start a fire, however the wood was mostly burnt and there was little to start the fire with. Several times he tried to start it and then, for no clear reason, the fire jumped to life, roaring loudly. Arthur frowned, confused, however he shrugged off his confusion and turned so see Merlin staring at Arthur with wide, confused eyes.

"It's a warm fire," Merlin stated, to which Arthur nodded once. Merlin continued croaking out words. "But I'm cold. Aren't you? It's cold. I hope the fire helps. Why can't I swallow?"

Without waiting for a response, Merlin closed his eyes and continued panting softly, Arthur staring at the odd servant in confusion. Maybe he _should _go get help?

Glancing at the pale, yet profusely sweating servant, made Arthur nod. Gaius would know what to do. He was probably worried anyway, and surely he'd be done helping the knight by now! Arthur walked over to Merlin to inform him of his decision to go get Gaius, when Merlin started murmuring again. It seemed the servant was delirious, and Arthur went back to deciding that he should stay by Merlin's side. A delusional person shouldn't be left alone, Arthur decided.

Arthur suddenly realized that he was still holding the bowl of cooling soup, and so he gently shook Merlin's shoulder again.

"Do you want soup?" Arthur asked uneasily. "It might help your throat. It's still a bit warm, but you won't burn your tongue."

Merlin's eyes blinked open, however he didn't reply. Instead he only made a soft whimpering noise in the back of his now clearly swollen throat. Arthur shifted uneasily, suddenly feeling quite nervous about this young servant's condition, and then he made the decision to make Merlin drink the soup because surely the soup would help!

"Come on, sit up," Arthur assisted the skinny boy in sitting up, and was surprised that Merlin was light as a feather. Maybe he never ate enough. "Now, can you eat this on your own, I do I have you feed you like a baby?"

Merlin's eyes fluttered closed as he made a soft noise again, and Arthur swallowed. Merlin was acting completely uncharacteristically, and it made Arthur wonder exactly what was wrong with Merlin. With a huff, Arthur spooned some of the soup out of the bowl and wondered distantly why he was doing any of this. Glancing over at the panting servant made Arthur feel strangely guilty, but he'd felt some guilt about things before and hadn't gone to such great lengths to correct his guilt. Then again, the people he'd felt guilty about in the past hadn't saved his life once and attempted to save his life a second time. Besides, despite Merlin's endless tiresomeness, he was sort of like what Arthur imagined having a clumsy little brother would be like. Of course any little brother of Arthur's would be a much better fighter, but still Merlin reminded Arthur of the sibling idea (not that Arthur understood much about that considering he'd never had a real brother). Merlin may be clumsy and incompetent, but he was clearly strong willed and what's more he was trustworthy and honest.

"Eat," Arthur commanded as he held the spoon of soup up to Merlin's mouth. Merlin didn't eat, and Arthur sighed before he cleared his throat and tried to tip the soup into Merlin's mouth. Most of it dribbled down Merlin's chin, but the servant seemed to get the idea, and so he opened his mouth and painfully gulped a bit down with a whimper. Arthur indignantly fed Merlin a little more soup, which Merlin lapped up quickly, and about half the bowl was gone before Merlin slumped abruptly.

"Merlin?" Arthur waited for a response, but when there was none, he shook Merlin. "Merlin, wake up!"

Merlin remained unresponsive, and Arthur's heart leaped in his chest, banging wildly against his ribcage.

"Merlin, I command you to wake up!" Arthur spoke loudly, shaking the unresponsive servant. When there was absolutely no response, Arthur made a split second decision and hoisted Merlin to his feet. Merlin simply slumped to the ground, and so without a second thought Arthur picked up Merlin and ran out of the room and out toward Gaius's chambers. He encountered only one servant, a very startled maid who almost dropped her basket of linens as the prince rushed by her, before he found himself at Gaius's door.

"Open up!" he called in, banging on the door with his elbow.

The door opened in a matter of moments, the old healer looking rather startled and confused until he saw who Arthur was carrying and what condition the unconscious lad was in. Then Gaius's face fell dramatically.

"Oh, Merlin," he murmured, apparently in a momentary state of shock. Then, jumping to life, the old healer asked the prince to come inside quickly. The too pale servant was completely unresponsive and Gaius was terrified of what his clumsy, kind-hearted ward had gotten himself into now.

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**An: **_Well, if this chapter gets any where near as many reviews as last time, I'll be thrilled, but anyway, please review! Thanks again for last chapter's reviews! I love hearing what you guys think about the story._


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **_Thank you so much again to all of you who took the time to review! I can't believe the reception this fic got, it's unbelievable. I don't know if I've ever had a fic with 97 followers and 48 favorites... That's kind of intimidating to be honest. But thank you so much!_

_Anyway, part 3/3 for my fic, however I have a bit more to tell you at the bottom..._

* * *

"Help me get him onto the bed!" Gaius put one of his arms around Merlin's shoulder and lead him to the bed in the middle of the chamber. "What has happened, Sire?"

"He… Er..." Arthur hesitated as Merlin was lowered onto the bed. "He sort of got… Uh.. Stuck in the stocks during the storm."

"He what?" Gaius glanced to quickly.

"Yeah, it was an accident," Arthur looked everywhere but at Gaius. "The man who was supposed to get him out got killed in the attack, and so he was left out there. I thought he was with you."

"And I thought he was with you," Gaius examined Merlin, trying to determine his temperature. "Arthur, I know I shouldn't ask this of you, but do you think you could possibly get me a cool wet rag? I have some rags and water over there. It's for the fever. I'm afraid he has quite a bad one."

Arthur nodded, retrieving the rag, and Gaius placed it on Merlin's forehead. The servant groaned quietly, mumbling something in his sleep, and Gaius frowned, drawing his eyebrows together.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Arthur asked almost timidly.

"Well, this morning he complained of a slight sore throat, so he could have been coming down with something small anyway, however I think standing out in the cold and the rain has made his illness spiral out of control. Additionally, he may have developed a slight case of hypothermia while out in the rain, however this illness seems to have overtaken the hyperthermia in severity."

Arthur grimaced, glancing purposefully at his his hands and avoiding making eye contact with Gaius.

"What were his symptoms when he was awake? And have you done anything for him already?" Gaius asked, and Arthur sighed.

"Oh, I don't know, sore throat, muscles aching, couldn't swallow, tired, seemed to be having a hard time breathing, also he was kind of confused- more than usual. Mostly that serving girl and I tried to get him to warm up."

Gaius frowned, standing and hurrying over to a cabinet. He pulled out some vials and dried vegetables before he hurried to the hearth where he had some water boiling. Pouring some in a bowl, he mixed in some ingredients and then hurried back to Merlin's side.

Arthur wrinkled his nose when he smelled the pungent odor of garlic and onions. Gaius sat Merlin up a little and dribbled a miniscule amount at the back of Merlin's mouth. Automatically, Merlin swallowed it down. This happened several times before Merlin coughed as his eyes blinked open for a moment. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he seemed to give up and he closed his eyes, seemingly exhausted. He panted heavily again, wheezing slightly and making Gaius frown.

"I will do what I can tonight, but beyond some traditional remedies, we may have to let this run its course and hope it gets no worse. You might as well return to your chambers, Sire," Gaius's voice was verging on bitter as he turned away from the prince to better concentrate on Merlin, however Arthur didn't do as Gaius expected of him. Instead he shook his head vehemently.

"No, I will stay here tonight," Arthur told Gaius. "I'm sure you're tired after treating Sir Pellinore; I don't want to burden you with this task alone."

"It is no burden," Gaius told Arthur. "However you may do as you see fit. Give me a moment, I must retrieve some more herbs."

Gaius stood and searched the shelves as Arthur sighed uneasily and watched Merlin's labored, uneven breathing. For several moments the only sound in the room was wheezing, and then it was silent. At first Arthur was relieved that Merlin's wheezing had stopped, but after a moment his heart dropped.

"Gaius!" Arthur let out a choked cry. "Gaius, he has stopped breathing!"

Gaius was by Merlin's side in a second. He quickly checked Merlin's pulse, and he nodded emotionlessly. He sat Merlin up all the way, Arthur watching with wide eyes. Gaius leaned Merlin forward a bit and pounded on the boy's back several times. It took several tries before Merlin coughed harshly and choked up a bit of soup. He stared at Gaius, his wide innocent eyes full of confused horror.

"You had given him food, hadn't you?" Gaius questioned Arthur, who shrugged helplessly. "You should have told me this."

"What's wrong with giving him soup?" Arthur was indignant, however he continued to watch Merlin carefully as if any moment the servant might again stop breathing.

"His breathing is poor and if given a large amount of food or drink, his airway could become clogged. He'll be alright now, at least as far as choking. Here, Merlin, try to get some rest."

Gaius leaned Merlin against the back of the bed and arranged his pillow. Almost immediately, Merlin's eyes blinked closed once again.

"Try to let him sleep," Gaius told Arthur. "At this point, rest may be his best cure."

Arthur nodded, resting his chin on his knuckles and checking periodically to see if Merlin was breathing. Gaius went to study a book and about a half hour later, he heard a loud snore. Glancing up, a small smile lit his face. Arthur had fallen asleep, slouched in his chair. Gaius stood and draped a blanket over the sleeping prince; perhaps it wasn't so bad that Merlin had to be his servant.

Gaius then went back to studying, soft snores and wheezes filling in air as rain continued to pelt the window in a now almost calming tone. It would take time, but a good night's sleep could do Merlin a world of good.

MMM

Slowly, the rays of morning broke through the window, and Arthur awoke with a snort as he almost fell out of his chair. Shaking his head and muttering about aching muscles, Arthur tried to figure out why he wasn't in bed. It took several moments before Arthur realized he was in Gaius's chambers and then with a gasp Arthur's eyes searched for Merlin.

It was the second day that Arthur had snuck out at night to see if Merlin was alright; apparently Arthur had accidentally fallen asleep and stayed here all night again. Yesterday, Arthur had had to leave in the morning and practice with the knights, however Gaius said that Merlin had slept all day anyway. Today Arthur had arranged it so that the knights were practicing on their own, however Arthur doubted that his father was aware of his son's whereabouts.

After rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Arthur spotted Merlin. There lay the servant, his skin a pallor shade that almost looked grey, however rather than sleeping like he should be doing, Melin was glancing peacefully toward the window. Arthur was quick to sit up and smooth his own ruffled hair before standing.

"I was wondering when you'd wake," Merlin croaked, his eyes meeting Arthur's playfully.

"Why are you awake? Shouldn't you be sleeping? You slept all day yesterday," was all Arthur could manage, and Merlin looked like he would have laughed had he been able. Instead he let out a half cough, which then led to an eruption of coughing and hacking which sent Arthur into a fit looking around for a cup of water. To his surprise, there was one next to Merlin, which the servant grabbed and brought to his lips. His hand was shaking so hard, however, that most of it ended up spilled all over the bedspread.

"Are you alright? That cough doesn't sound very good at all," Arthur asked once Merlin had finished coughing, and the servant shrugged silently. "Look, I… I really am sorry you were stuck out there for so long, especially in the rain. I don't even know how you managed to stay standing for so long."

"Didn't fancy choking," Merlin croaked out with a tiny smile.

"Yes, well, I think it's safe to say you're excused from you duties until you're feeling at least some better. I'm sure you're quite disappointed."

"I'll get bored, that's for sure," Merlin took a quick sip of water before he could start coughing again. "Gaius is out around the lower town all of today."

"I'll send that serving girl, er, Gwen, to keep you company," Arthur waved his hand in the air as he tried to remember Gwen's name.

"Thanks," Merlin choked out. "For getting me out and everything. Thank you."

"Yeah, well," Arthur shrugged. "It seemed the least I could do, considering. Gwen mentioned you don't like lightning. If you had to get stuck in the stocks, I'm sorry it had to be last night."

Merlin's face suddenly became a mask of emotionlessness, and this caused Arthur to frown.

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing," Merlin answered quickly. 'Yeah, I don't like lightning too much. I got stuck alone in the forest in a storm when I was a kid. It's fine, though. It's over now."

Arthur nodded, guilt knotting his stomach for a moment. He almost apologized again, however instead he told Merlin that he'd go get Gwen to keep him company.

"Could you hand me the chess set on your way out?" Merlin asked Arthur, who raised his eyebrows.

"Chess set? You play chess?" Arthur laughed loudly, and Merlin shrugged.

"Gaius," he choked out. "Teaching me."

"_You _play chess?" Arthur gaffed again. "I'd like to see you try."

Merlin shrugged as Arthur handed him the chess set, and then Arthur grinned.

"You know, I don't have any royal duties for a while, perhaps you can try your luck against me. Believe me, you'll need luck!"

Shrugging again, Merlin agreed, and then Arthur placed the chess set on a table next to the bedridden lad. They played a silent game, considering Merlin had decided his throat wasn't up to any more talking, and though indeed Arthur won, he had to admit that Merlin had potential. Several hours later, a knight found Arthur chuckling as Merlin grinned lopsidedly and took Arthur's queen and waved it about the air in triumph.

"Your father's been worried about your location," the knight told Arthur, who merely shrugged.

"I'm busy today," Arthur told the knight. "Since you're here, by the way, go down to the kitchens and retrieve some soup- two bowls."

The knight huffed indignantly, however he hurried away and now it was Merlin's turn to smile.

"He's a knight, going to do servants things," Merlin forced out, and Arthur grinned a little at the idea. "For once it's not me you're ordering around!"

"It will be, as soon as you're well," Arthur warned him, and Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Maybe I should never get well, but then I'd have to sit around playing chess all day. Worse, I'll have to sit around playing chess with," Merlin coughed roughly. "With you. You know, I can't wait until I'm better!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, and then partook in yet another silent game of chess.

MMM

Later that afternoon, Gaius came in to see that Merlin had fallen asleep. Gaius checked Merlin's fever to see that it had gone down significantly. Clearly his magic was helping him to heal, for he'd gotten over that illness abnormally quickly. Gaius puttered around the room for a short while, before a wet cough caught his attention. Gaius turned to the bed to see Merlin watching him silently.

"How do you feel, my boy?" Gaius asked, and though Merlin merely shrugged, Gaius could tell that he was feeling much better.

"Here, drink some honey tea; it will help your throat," Gaius handed Merlin a cup. "I was worried the other night. You've made an amazing recovery."

"Perhaps magic does come in handy," Merlin voiced Gaius's thoughts, and the old man smiled.

"Speaking of which, I'm quite impressed you didn't use it to release yourself when you were out there. Although I regret to say it, good job my boy."

"Yeah, at first I figured magically escaping the stocks would look a little odd, but soon I wasn't thinking much of anything," Merlin admitted. "So, I take it Arthur didn't mean to leave me out there?"

"The man who was meant to release you was killed while out on a patrol," Gaius watched Merlin's face fall. "Don't worry yourself over it, Merlin, it is in no way your fault, and so it is not your concern. Such things happen to knights, they know that it comes with the position."

"But Gaius-"

"Don't 'but Gaius' me. Now drink your tea, it will soothe your throat."

"Thank you," Merlin said after taking a sip. "It is nice."

The room was quiet for several minutes, before Merlin caught Gaius's attention again.

"What is it?" Gaius asked, and Merlin gave a small smile.

"You know," he told the old healer. "Perhaps it isn't so bad being Arthur's servant after all."

"No, perhaps not," Gaius smiled, and then he watched as Merlin slowly fell asleep, a chess sitting peacefully beside his bed.

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**AN: **_So, how did you like the rather fluffy conclusion? Despite poor Merlin being stuck in the rain, this event seemed to make Arthur and Merlin better friends. Now, this fic may be over, but I have some things to say about future fics._

_1\. I will take requests for Merlin fics so long as they don't involve slash, so if any of you have any requests, just let me know. From this fic, you can probably tell that I don't have any problems with writing hurt/sick!Merlin (or Arthur). I look forward to hearing from you._

_2\. I have another semi short fic in my mind which would involve our two heroes being on a hunting trip and either Merlin or Arthur (I haven't yet decided which) steps in a hidden beartrap set out by less humane hunters. The two have to somehow make it back to Camelot, despite the fact one can hardly walk and they hadn't brought their horses. What do you think of this idea?_

_3\. Lastly, if you liked this fic, you may like another one of my Merlin fics: I Used to Know. It is a hurt!Merlin story, a reveal story, and a sadly mislead Arthur story. (blame Morgana, because it's after she is evil) I'd love it if you checked it out :)_

_Anyway, thank you for following this fic to the end. Please review! _


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